A Thread of Fate As Red As the Tatsuta River
by Tamaki and Haruhi 4ever
Summary: 'Chihaya belongs to neither of us.' Taichi remembered his own words to Arata long ago, and it was true. Chihaya belonged to her passion, Karuta, the game that had brought them all together and instilled new bonds with several other wonderful people. Still, selfish or not, Taichi would always desire for Chihaya to be his. "Let's play karuta together forever, ne, Chihaya?"


**A/N: Okay, so, first off, Chihayafuru is the most beautiful anime ever, and Chihaichi is one of the best ships in the world, am I right? I started watching this anime fully expecting to like Arata and Chihaya as a couple, but omg, these two grew on me so much. They're literally one of my favorite pairings. This story is cowritten with one of my bestestest buddies, Chloe! I got her into Chihayafuru and WE ARE CHIHAICHI FANGIRL BUDDIES AKDNKADFNDKN. Anyway, this oneshot is based off our Chihayafuru roleplay accounts on Twitter. ^_^ (MashimaTaichi and BeautyInVain_ if any of you would like to follow!) I absolutely love writing and roleplaying with Chloe. This was a blast, girl! Thanks so much for everything!**

**And I hope you guys enjoy! I know it's way past Valentine's Day, but Chloe and I did start writing this back then but only finished it recently. Heh, yay belated valentines! :3 NISHIDA. PUT DOWN THE PORK BUN AND DO THE DISCLAIMER FOR ME.**

**Porky: ...Do I have to? =_= Fine. She doesn't own anything. *noms***

**...Thanks.**

* * *

Determination.

That's the feeling Taichi had woken up with once the first rays of sunlight shone on his face, the sound of birds chirping announcing it was another day, a special day.

Valentine's Day.

Even though, technically, he wasn't supposed to give chocolate until White Day (Valentine's Day was a day for the girls to give chocolate to boys), Taichi didn't want to wait. Yesterday, he had attempted to make his own chocolate, much to his mother's and sister's disapproval. Needless to say, Taichi had never earned an award for anything culinary (the one thing he could never succeed extravagantly at) and so the chocolate failed, and their kitchen had become quite the mess (never before had Taichi known chocolate could explode). The same day Taichi had gotten on the train and went to the expensive chocolaterie, buying the best chocolate he could find and of course, making sure that Chihaya would actually like it.

But now... once finally being at their school he had lost all the courage he'd managed to gather. Before he'd known it, half the day had passed and he still hadn't mustered up the vigor to give Chihaya the chocolates. Taichi himself, however, had already received much chocolate from the first-years and the female students. A sigh escaped his lips when he leaned against the door to Chihaya's current class, his fingers restlessly fumbling with the parcel he was holding. His popularity never seemed to go down. It actually bothered him sometimes, the admiration from the females. He would never get a moment of his own without hearing the squeals of another first-year student. With pursed lips, he decided upon going back to his own classroom. Staying here any longer wouldn't improve the situation. Who had known that at the same time someone else had decided to open the door, causing him to fall straight into the classroom?

* * *

This Valentine's Day had started out as any other - Chihaya stopping by the Shiranami Karuta Society on her way to school to deliver her gifts to Harada-sensei, who, as he did every year, refused her gifts, insisting that she give them to his wife for him instead. Having expected this, Chihaya wasn't too disappointed, but was unable to forget about it as the day drew on. No boy gave her honmei chocolate since she was merely known as the "beauty in vain," and all day she watched everyone exchange valentine gifts such as flowers, cards, and boxes of chocolate. Even Porky had received chocolate! Kana-chan gave Desktomu-kun a little candy bar albeit shyly, and Sumire was more than eager to deliver her chocolates to the karuta club's president himself, who had been already showered with chocolates from practically every girl in the school. And school wasn't even close to over yet! Puffing her cheeks, Chihaya rested her chin in her hand as she watched the day's events drag on. No doubt she would return home to hear Chitose telling a story about how several guys had given her so much chocolate that she didn't know what to do with it all, and thus she would distribute some to the family. As it transpired every year. Year after year, the same things kept happening, and though Chihaya was an easygoing, content sort, she was beginning to become disgruntled, ready for a change.

Breaking out of her reverie as the bell rung, Chihaya gathered up her books and was the first one to the door, the rest of the students stopping to mingle and socialize and probably exchange even more gifts. Imagine the brunette's surprise when she opened the door only to have her best friend literally drop in, knocking into her, the collision causing her to drop all of her textbooks.

Quickly regaining his balance by stepping forward, Taichi turned to bow lightly and mutter his apologies. "...Gomen." His amber-brown eyes were fixed on the floor, not even noticing his best friend as he frantically sought for the small parcel he had dropped upon their accidental collision. Where was it?

Stunned for a moment at the entire abrupt, unexpected series of events, Chihaya finally reacted upon hearing his voice, and her head snapped up. "Taichi! Why so clumsy today?" Her bright voice held a note of sing-song amusement as she knelt to gather up the books she'd dropped. Momentarily confused as her hands instead brushed a soft package, she quickly distinguished it as probably one of the many valentine gifts her best friend had received. It was very pretty, and though Chihaya never really paid much attention to detail, even she could see that it'd been intricately wrapped, as if professionally done at a gift wrapping store. It was a combination of the holiday colors, pink and red, and a big bow with hearts on it secured the parcel. Chihaya found herself wistfully wondering what it was like to receive a gift on such a holiday. After ogling it for a moment, she extended it towards him with a cheery smile. "Is this yours, Taichi?"

Taichi mentally cursed himself. Sure, he had wanted to give it to Chihaya, but definitely under different circumstances.

Not giving him a chance to answer, Chihaya continued, "Jeez, and you call _me _a klutz! Don't drop something so pretty!" She lifted a finger in reprimand to punctuate her statement, wagging it lightly. She'd failed to notice herself how her mood had instantly brightened upon seeing Taichi, as opposed to her dismal mood previously.

Instinctively, Taichi was quick to react when the gift was held out to him, reaching out for it swiftly as if it were a one-syllable karuta card. However, he found himself halting amidst his movements at the last second, his arm retracting after a moment of hesitation. With his cheeks burning hot, Taichi averted his gaze to summon all his courage until he finally responded in a low, nervous tone. "...It's yours. Keep it."

"Eh?" Chihaya blinked a few times, cluelessly. "No, it's not. I'm not the one who dropped it. It's not yours, either?" Again, before he could answer, she turned to face the rest of her classmates, holding the package high in the air and waving it back and forth as she yelled out, "Did anyone drop this?"

Taichi facepalmed. In all the years he had known Chihaya, one thing sure had been made clear, many times. His childhood friend was the special kind of airhead. One that wouldn't notice someone's intentions even when they were written down on a flashy billboard in huge, gaudy letters right in front of her nose.

And, obviously, this was not the right time for the same thing to happen.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Taichi gently grasped Chihaya's free arm and whisked her out of the classroom before she could make an even bigger commotion. "O-oi! Taichi..! What're you-?"

In the hallway, he turned her to face him, interrupting her with a firm, "Listen." The brunette obediently silenced, and now he had Chihaya's undivided, though confused, attention. "...It's mine," he clarified after a moment, nodding toward the colorful package, his cheeks still tainted red. He looked toward her, but wouldn't meet her eyes. "..For you."

The words struck Chihaya like a ton of bricks, and she stared at him in disbelief before gazing down at the neatly wrapped, heart-shaped box in her hand. "You're..giving this to me? This is for me?" She'd heard his words clearly, but still had to be sure. No doubt it was merely obligatory chocolate - after all, they'd always exchanged chocolate bars on this day as kids - but it was still better than no chocolate, right? Her stunned expression finally faded as the initial shock wore off, and she beamed at him, her auburn eyes alight. Once again not giving him a chance to respond, she exclaimed with a vibrant, appreciative smile and a laugh to her voice, "This is kind of backwards! What are you, a girl? Arigatou, Taichi! I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you... can I open it?" Her free hand hovered over the parcel, ready to tear the paper upon his consent as she gazed at him with expectant, eager giddiness.

As he registered her positive response, Taichi dared to look at his childhood friend again, nodding his head once to give his permission. But as he waited for her to open her gift, soon hushed whispers drifted to Taichi's line of hearing, and it didn't take him long to realize that it was his own fangirls filed out in the hallway from their classes. And they were clearly talking about him and Chihaya.

Suddenly narrowing his eyes, Taichi grasped the beauty in vain's wrist and lead her - well, dragged her, really - out of the hall and out the front door. It was their free period, anyway.

Poised to open her gift, Chihaya was startled as his fingers suddenly locked around her wrist and she was pulled out of the building. "Oiii! Taichiii!" she protested, waving her free arm in frenzied circles. "I was just about to open it! What're you doing?!" She sullenly puffed her cheeks, but stumbled along, holding fast to her present.

Taichi guided them to the single location he deemed safe at their school - the karuta clubhouse. "By giving you that, I theoretically pushed you right into a lethal lionpit," he responded to her inquiry, not expecting her to actually understand what he meant to say.

Chihaya visibly brightened as they entered the karuta clubroom, the place she always felt most at home in, her composure even more jovial. Either she wasn't paying attention to his words or merely didn't understand them (either one highly probable), because she didn't offer a response. She hastened to tear open the package, not even trying to go about it neatly to salvage the beautiful wrapping paper.

Meanwhile, to ensure that no jealous fangirl had followed them, Taichi proceeded to wait outside the door a moment longer, relinquishing his grip on Chihaya's arm as his golden eyes scanned their surroundings. He sighed in relief. "I think they-" The sound of ripping paper pierced the silent air, cutting him off, and Taichi curiously glanced in the direction of the noise only to see Chihaya excitedly opening her gift. He sweatdropped. _She certainly never wastes any time... _There literally came no end to this young woman's enthusiasm.

Hearts appeared in her eyes as the wrapping parted to reveal a box of chocolatier truffles! "Aaah! Taichi! You got the good kind! I wonder if there are ghana flavors in it..." she mused as she excitedly scanned the box, referring to her favorite kind of chocolate, before lifting her head to bestow a delighted expression Taichi's way. "Thanks so much, Taichi! Want me to give you something, too? Here, have some!" She was already ripping open the box to stuff a truffle into her mouth. "Mmmm! So good!" she proclaimed with her mouth full.

With a deadpan expression, Taichi declined her offer and watched her stuff her face. She cared more about the flavors than the idea and meaning. He slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead once again. Even this, he could have predicted. "Would you have preferred a ghana bar?" he asked sarcastically.

Piece after piece she popped into her mouth, a happy hum in the back of her throat. "Mm? No, dees're dood!" Chihaya insisted, again with her mouth full. But this time she swallowed before continuing, "Do you have a valentine yet, Taichi?" An innocent blink of her long lashes accompanied the inquiry, watching him, chocolate stains at the corners of her mouth.

Observing her face, Taichi saw an opportunity to avoid the question. So, instead of answering, he approached his fellow classmate and used his thumb to wipe some chocolate from the side of her mouth. "You have chocolate all over your mouth, Chihaya... you should try eating with your mouth closed and not talking with your mouth full. It's honestly no wonder you're not popular with the boys.." He lifted his thumb to show her the chocolate smear, a smirk flitting across his face. "See?"

Blinking at the sudden touch, then protruding her lower lip in a pout at his words, Chihaya waved her fists at him to fend him off. "It's just us here!" To appease him, she poked her tongue out to lick at the sides of her mouth. "There! Did I get it?" She then ate yet another truffle as soon as the words left her mouth, defeating the entire purpose of that gesture as more chocolate coated her lips.

Taichi's mother would be horrified at the girl's lack in manners. He himself had always been raised to not talk at the dinner table, not smack while eating, and to never, ever talk with his mouth full. Chihaya was a complete contradiction of what he'd always been taught. The girl he'd fallen in love with was absolutely impossible. With a light flick of his fingers against her forehead, Taichi shook his head in bemusement as he carefully wiped the remaining chocolate off her lips, again with his thumb. He couldn't help but note to himself how soft and full her rosebud lips were.

Chihaya blinked, then burst into a grin as she exaggeratedly impersonated his sullen thumbs-down gesture. Almost instantaneously she burst into laughter, even falling over on her back in her mirth.

Taichi smiled to himself at her cuteness. Her cheerful laughter was contagious, and he soon found himself laughing right along with her. Impossible as she may be, he loved her nonetheless.

After a bout of bubbly laughter, Chihaya bounced up to sit on the floor, and she passed him a truffle, slipping it into his fingers as he joined her. "I want you to eat with me!" she declared brightly with a cheerful grin before taking up another truffle. "Maybe I should save the rest for when I practice karuta later..." she mulled thoughtfully, then shook her head decisively. "Mmm, nah!" As soon as the words were out, the truffle was in. "I bet you got lots of valentines today, didn't you, Taichi?" she beamed expectantly at him around her mouthful of chocolate.

Glancing down at the truffle in his hand, Taichi easily popped it into his mouth. Though the chocolates were meant to be eaten by Chihaya alone, he knew that he wouldn't be capable of refusing her request. When he heard her question, it was all he could do not to choke on the treat in his mouth. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Chihaya patiently waited for him to respond, figuring he wasn't since he had to chew his bite of chocolate, blinking with a note of innocent curiosity.

Quickly swallowing the truffle with slight difficulty, he wiped the corners of his own mouth before quietly responding. "I got lots of chocolate and requests...though.." Taichi paused to gaze meaningfully at his best friend. "I rejected them."

Chihaya blinked at this revelation, stunned. It wasn't like Taichi to be rude... yet it was like Taichi to be blunt. "Nande?! Why?" she slammed her palms down on the floor and leaned forward so that their faces were mere inches apart, her mouth agape as she stared at him.

Startled by the sudden noise and small gap between their faces, Taichi was drawn away from his own thoughts as he stared into her unabashed gaze. Though acknowledging that Chihaya wouldn't understand his feelings anytime soon (if ever), he decided to tell her...somewhat. With an almost pained expression, he averted his gaze. "...I already like someone else."

The brunette was blown away by his confession. Her mouth closed, and she sat back on her haunches as she regarded him in shock, only for her jaw to drop again. "Is that why you broke up with your girlfriend?!" Chihaya clearly remembered the day Taichi had monotonously called it quits with his girlfriend via cell phone. It was starting to make sense now.

A small amused, yet sad smile formed on his lips as he nodded, confirming her inquiry.

Chihaya waved her fists in the air, an old habit of hers whenever she got excited. "Knew it! Who is it, Taichi? Is it Sumire-chan? Tellmetellmetellme! C'mon, Taichiii, tell me!" she begged, bouncing on her forelegs, her fists drawn to her mouth, eyes round in bright curiosity.

A chuckle escaped Taichi's throat, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Like I would tell you."

She responded with a sound of irritation grumbling in the back of her throat. "Taiichiii! We're best friends! Best friends don't keep secrets from each other! You can trust me!" She leaned in and grabbed fistfolds of the cuff of his shirt, using her grip to shake him back and forth. "If you won't tell me who it is, at least tell me that you asked her to be your valentine! Did she give you chocolates? Come oonnn, Taichi!" she whined profusely, eager to know.

Having forgotten about the strength Chihaya possessed, Taichi's eyes grew wide as saucers, then turned swirly as he was roughly shaken, growing dizzy. "_I_ gave _her_ chocolates." But he hadn't dared to ask her to be his valentine.

Chihaya seemed appeased at this, the pieces not coming together in her mind, and she nodded in approval. "Good!" She released her hold on him. "You're not a coward after all!" she exclaimed, chipper, completely unaware of how much impact that specific word had with Taichi. "Tell me more! What's she like?"

_Coward._

Taichi unconsciously flinched at the mention of the word he hated so much. Wherever he went, that word would always follow him. Be it coming from Arata, his mother, Harada, himself and now even Chihaya. He was, indeed, a coward who was still running away from everything and everyone. But now... now, he would stay and face any possible difficulties that came onto his path. With a strange glint of admiration in his eyes, he started describing the one he loved.

"...She's beautiful... sometimes quite the airhead but that's adorable in some way..." he paused, a genuine smile forming on his lips. "She's passionate."

At that moment, Chihaya caught herself reaching for another chocolate truffle. Listening intently to his words, she stopped immediately, arm in midreach as she suddenly stared at the box. Her expressions were always easy to read - she practically wore her heart on her sleeve - and now was no exception. It was apparent that a realization had dawned on her.

Taichi watched her movements and facade change, his own eyes widening. Had she realized..? His heart pounded as she slowly turned toward him with shimmery eyes, and then...

"That reminds me! I need to call Arata and wish him a happy Valentine's Day!" Chihaya blurted out with ecstatic energy, not noticing how Taichi immediately facefaulted in an anime crash on the floor at her words. She hastily fumbled for her cell phone, still clearly oblivious to Taichi's outright confession. Just as she flipped it open, her thumbs positioned to dial in her wayward childhood friend's number, she hesitated, fingers hovering. "I wonder if Arata got a valentine this year...if anyone gave him chocolates.." she thought aloud, a frown forming across her brow.

Almost instantly the smile that had been on Taichi's face faded, his mood darkening. As expected...it would always be Karuta and Arata. He truly had no chance. "I suppose not. When we went to Fukui, it didn't seem like he had a girlfriend." Well, Arata's neighbor had seemed to care for him as a dear friend, but Taichi didn't suspect anything was going on there. The endearment in Taichi's voice before was now completely gone.

Vaguely registering how Taichi's attitude had seemed to change completely, Chihaya's main focus was on the call button next to Arata's number on her screen. Taichi's words emboldened her, and with a deep breath, her thumb pressed Call before she could change her mind.

With bated breath Chihaya listened to it ring three times before Arata's voice, both familiar and unfamiliar to her, picked up. She felt her heart skip a beat, a light tinge of warmth flooding her cheeks, and it was several seconds before she could answer, her voice blithe and exuberant as always. "Arata! Happy Valentine's Day!" she squeaked, cradling the flip phone close to her ear. "Do you have a valentine this year? I bet you got lots of chocolates, huh?" However, she charged on, not giving Arata a chance to answer, perhaps because she didn't want to know. "Guess what?! Taichi has someone he likes! And that's why he broke up with the girl that called him Ta-kun!" She remembered the girl vividly, how instantly upon hearing about her and seeing her, Chihaya had felt a prick of discomfort. Almost like... she felt possessive. "I couldn't believe it! Can you? He said he gave her chocolates! Isn't that backwards? He's supposed to wait until White Day!..." Here she cut herself off, words trailing off as she let that truly sink in for the first time. Taichi.. had given the girl he liked chocolates?

_"It's yours...keep it."_ His words from earlier reverberated in her mind, how he'd looked away with slightly red cheeks.

Taichi had given Chihaya chocolates.

_"She's beautiful... sometimes quite the airhead, but that's adorable in some way... she's passionate."_

Passionate. Passionate. Her name.

For a split second, Chihaya was suddenly hearing a karuta reader read out the Chihayafuru poem. _"Impassionate gods..."_

Was she the..? Taichi liked her?!

Very slowly, Chihaya turned and full-on stared at Taichi with flabbergasted, stupefied eyes, the phone dropping from her hand.

* * *

Mindlessly gazing at the floor, Taichi contemplated leaving now, so Chihaya could freely chatter to Arata without him having to painstakingly listen to her every cheerful word.

The realization finally struck him, like a rock had slammed into the pit of his stomach - he'd practically been rejected.

Just as he'd decided to leave, Taichi heard the phone clatter to the floor. With confusion, he turned at her and gazed at her curiously. "Chihaya... you dropped your phone.." he said slowly.

Chihaya maintained her stunned stare, completely astonished. Instead of acknowledging his statement, she merely choked out all that she was capable of at the moment. "M-me..?"

Puzzled by her question, Taichi merely nodded at the phone by her feet. "Of course, you. There's nobody else nearby with a phone." Temporarily, he surveyed Chihaya's dumbfounded expression only to conclude that she was somewhere else with her mind. A soft sigh escaped him as he knelt down to pick up the phone. "...Arata? Yes, sorry. Chihaya looks like she just saw Wakamiya." With an arched brow, Taichi regarded his friend curiously.

Not to be broken out of her stupor, for once Chihaya had no idea what to say. Wide-eyed, she pointed a shaky finger at him. "You...- chocolates!" she stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Wait a second..." Taichi spoke to Arata, then removed the phone from his ear and covered the mouthpiece. "If you want more, Chihaya, we can go to the chocolatier after karuta practice." He nodded with a faint smile before retracting his hand and speaking to their childhood friend again. "..I suppose she wants to wish you a happy valentine's day."

"Nonono!" Chihaya shook her head furiously back and forth, waving her hands in a show of flailspazz. For once, she was the receiving end of obliviousness; and also unknowingly getting a taste of her own medicine. "The girl you like-" she stopped there, now secondguessing her own spectulation. She was probably wrong. Maybe the leading factors had all been coincidences. Chihaya deflated like a balloon running dry of helium.

At the moment those words left her lips, Taichi's world stood still, completely still. He could hear Arata talking on the other end of the line, but none of his words reached his mind. Taichi could only gaze at her with wide eyes and bated breath.

Chihaya held his gaze, returning it with equally round eyes. Was she right? Was she wrong? Very rarely was she ever rendered speechless, but now was one of those times. She couldn't force herself to speak, to ask him if she was the said girl. She herself wasn't even quite sure how she would feel if her theory proved correct. Embarrassed, if it turned out she was wrong. But underneath her shock, Chihaya's heart was pounding. Her hands wavered in the air, not lowering, robotically frozen midflail.

Only for Taichi to dismiss his ridiculous thoughts. He shook off the notion and turned away again to continue talking to Arata. Chihaya was too much of a dunce to realize his feelings for her.

Chihaya collapsed onto the ground on her stomach, staring at the opened box of chocolates, noting how Taichi must have picked out every truffle to her liking. She had to be wrong. He'd never...

Then, memories began flashing through her mind in a whirlwind. The look in his eyes as he'd stolen her bite of fruit tart crust at her late-night birthday celebration...almost as if he'd been about to..

And then, when he'd blocked the number of the first guy who'd ever taken an interest in her on her cell phone...

How he wouldn't let her in his room at first.. _"You shouldn't run to a guy's room so easily like that. I won't let you in."_

How, after Chihaya shut herself up in a locker due to her loss against Yumi Yamamoto, Taichi had waited patiently outside it the entire time when he should've been watching Harada-sensei's match with Sudo to get some pointers on becoming Class A..

In an instant, Chihaya sprang up on her feet, clenching her fists at her sides. "Why didn't you ever tell me?!" she shrieked, wide-eyed as it finally all came together. Had only taken two years.

Startled by her sudden question, Taichi said his goodbyes to Arata, apologizing for the inconvenience before he closed the flip phone with a soft 'click'. He held it out towards her. "Tell you what?" he queried, puzzled by her sudden behavior.

"That.." Chihaya didn't accept her phone, blatantly ignoring it as she gave him a hard stare. "I-I'm the girl you like!" she almost shouted the words, as if she couldn't get them out without force. The realization anew washed over her, and she stared at him in both disbelief and anger, that he'd kept it from her for so long. They were best friends!

Almost had Chihaya's phone fallen twice on the floor that day. Stunned and unable to move, Taichi continued to hold out her device, his gaze lingering on her eyes. With the dumbfounded look on his face, he must have looked rather ridiculous. Never had he thought that Chihaya would ever figure it out.

"Well?!" Chihaya pressed after a lapse of silence, her eyes fierce to know. "Aren't you going to answer me!? Why?" The look on his face said it all - she was correct in her evaluation.

What should have been a glorious moment for Taichi was somehow turning into a nightmare. Perhaps the dramas Rika liked to watch had set his hopes too high. With slightly narrowed eyes, Taichi averted his gaze in embarrassment, slowly placing her cell phone down on the floor and speaking calmly. "...Arata."

"N-nani?" Why was he bringing up their childhood friend? What did he have to do with it? "What about him? Did he tell you not to?" Chihaya demanded, her simplistic mind of course assuming the most innocent notion.

Taichi slowly balled his hands into fists at his sides as he clarified with a hint of resignation in his voice, "The way you look at him, talk to him, react when he calls or texts..." he pursed his lips as he trailed off. She had even been wondering whether Arata had a valentine a few minutes ago.

An incomprehensive frown first took shape upon Chihaya's brow, then his words brought to mind Sumire's, long ago. _"Is there anyone you like? Who's on your mind all the time, every day?" _Later after the question had been posed, she'd had to admit to herself that Arata fit the bill on that one. After all, he was her inspiration; for a long time, until she'd developed a true passion and love for karuta, the thought of meeting Arata again in a tournament was what drove her on.

The words splashed over her like a douse of ice-cold water, dawning her in understanding. Was Taichi saying that..? The furrow in her brow slowly vanished.

The silence that followed his statement was slowly butchering Taichi's confidence. It had been stupid of him to think he even stood a chance against Arata, the future karuta Meijin. "...I apologize." With those words, the boy turned around to leave. He was once again the coward that always fled.

It was then, at that moment, watching Taichi turn his back to her, that Chihaya was struck with the third realization in ten minutes. She absolutely didn't want him to walk out right now. The best friend that'd left her crushed when he transferred, only to return to high school with her and fill her with an unspeakable joy at their reuniting. The best friend who'd been there with her every step of the way, who'd started a karuta club with her, who was always there with support and encouragement, who knew her better than anyone else did... No.

She couldn't let him leave.

A torrent of tears sprang to her eyes unbidden, and a "No! Wait!" escaped her throat in a shrill cry as she lunged forward, managing to clutch a fistfold of the back of his shirt. "Don't leave..." Her cheeks were warm, eyes soft and teary.

It was too late. All this time he had only waited for her to realize his feelings, but Chihaya was too dense - he knew that and had known all along. Taichi cursed his own inactivity. Arata already had captured her heart. The courage he had gathered to finally confess to his best friend had been in vain, his confidence had taken a great blow, dissipated into thin air. Or, so he thought.

It surprised him to hear Chihaya calling out for him, followed by something tugging at his uniform. He turned around slowly to see what she wanted. "Wha-..." His amber hues widened upon seeing the tear stains on her warm, red cheeks. "...Chihaya?" Her name escaped his lips, hushed, barely a whisper.

The messy crier that she is, Chihaya's lips were wobbly as tears and snot coursed down her face. Sniffing loudly and rubbing her free fist across her face, she blurted out in a choked voice, "I do get excited talking to Arata! I..never see him. He introduced me to karuta. He...helped me find my dream. He's special to me.." now her grip tightened. "But you are, too!" she admitted, bolstered gaze fixated onto him. "You're helping me _accomplish _my dream. You've always been my best friend..." A sob caught in the back of her throat as she added, "How could I ignore that, Taichi?"

Silence followed for a moment longer as he listened attentively, taking in every single word carefully as it reverberated in his mind.

It wasn't pretty when Chihaya cried. All the tears and snot weren't very charming, but then and there, Chihaya looked more beautiful to him than she ever had.

He exhaled softly, a genuine smile forming as he turned around completely to take the weeping girl into his arms, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Mrs. Pressure" would be none too pleased upon seeing the state of his shirt later, but Taichi was prepared to face his mother's wrath. Chihaya leaned into him, her grip on his shirt holding fast, as if she never wanted to let him go.

Taichi had always longed to hold her like this. Cherishing the moment that felt right and wrong at the same time, he inwardly acknowledged something he could never change.

_"Chihaya belongs to neither of us." _Taichi remembered his own words to Arata long ago, and it was true. Chihaya belonged to her passion, Karuta, the game that had brought them all together and instilled new bonds with several other wonderful people. Still, selfish or not, Taichi would always desire for Chihaya to be his.

His cheeks tinted a faint pink as he gently drew back to give her a smile that warmed his eyes. "Let's play karuta together forever, ne, Chihaya?"

Chihaya's eyes shimmered before more tears welled up. A memory instantly resurfaced, of her laying on her back in the snow, laughing as she extended her mittened hands to her two best friends, who were gazing down at her. _"Arata, Taichi, let's play karuta together forever!" _ she'd exclaimed.

Then, in that moment, for the very first time, Chihaya was finally gazing at Taichi with recognition, with realization and acceptance, of who he was and how he felt. And, even with a note of fondness. Amber hues met auburn ones. Warmth coursed through Taichi's body as he noticed the expression blooming across her face. One of recognition, like he'd always yearned for. She finally saw him, recognized him, acknowledged him, and it felt better than he'd ever imagined.

Tears were beginning to prick the corners of his eyes. _"Men don't cry," _his mother's words were resounding in his head, but he disregarded them, rubbing a fist across his eyes quickly before flashing a smile at her. "I have something to ask you, Chihaya. Will you be my valentine?" Now he could proudly ask with heartened confidence.

Chihaya rubbed her fists at her eyes as she nodded, beaming radiantly. "Hai!" She grabbed his hands in hers, clutching them and bouncing them in place. "That means I have to get chocolates for you, too, Taichi! Let's go get some ghana bars after karuta practice, okay?"

Taichi laughed softly, gently entwining his fingers with hers. "Okay."

Pure happiness like he'd never felt before swelling inside him, Taichi noted that the karuta clubroom they'd made their new beginning in together long ago was the perfect place for this to happen. In their element, Chihaya's first love, the sport that had brought them closer together... both as kids and as teenagers. Karuta had been their red thread of fate.

Thanks to Kana-chan, Chihaya had long known that her card, the Chihaya card, was a love poem. But now... thanks to Taichi, she understood it. She could relate to it! Her face alight, her eyes shimmering, Chihaya gazed at her best friend with new, excited, affectionate understanding as she quietly uttered, "Impassionate gods have never seen the red that is the Tatsuta River.."

Taichi's face softened, his eyes regarding her in adoration as he pulled her closer, murmuring back, "Even in the age of ancient gods, I have never heard that the Tatsuta River dyed its water in autumn red." Watching the sunlight streaming from the glass sliding door bathe over Chihaya, casting her in a golden glow, Taichi leaned in to kiss her.


End file.
